Outdoor advertising sign



G. s. JoHNs'oN OUTDOORl ADVERTISING SIGN Filed June 30, 1924 3 Dec.11, 1928.

INVENTOR. gordon JJo/zdon ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. l1, k1928i. y

UNITED sra TES GORDON s. JOHNSON, or wrrnefroninnrnois, 'Assrononf NrafoFFlcE SYSTEM, INCORPORATED, OFCI-IICAGO, ILLINOIS. v

OUTDOOR ADVERTISING sien.

v 'nppnatipn met .rime so,

' borders maybe economically manufactured and cheaply, easily and quickly applied. by unskilled`.workmen to old signs already erected or new ones to beerected.l y

The usual out-door `adyertising sign is WithoutV any material Y ornamentatiom except that which appears en the sig-aboard itself, and is, therefore, quite ,unattractii'fe.` All out-door advertising signs have the same general marginal appearances. y i

By my invention it is possibleto apply a symmetricallborder of sufficient areaA to not only. cover up posts o r. unsightly Supporting structures, butv to also bear decorative `fea tures, givingindividuality and variations :to signs by ornamenting the border sothat the ornamentation lcan vbe seen` atfconsiderable distancesfy .1 ,-7 The invention includes, in general., anl or namental border for out-door signs, prefer-j ably arranged at 'the top and Vthe bottom andv the sides ofthe sign-board, and so construct' ed that it may be readily added and adjusted in relation to the sign-board by unskilledlaf bor. Any means of attaching the border Vin l proper relation to the sign may be employed..

jV The borde'rmay be made in sections for `convenience in handling,'and Wood or sheet `met-al bearing any desired design may bei employed.

Theborder kmay be ornamented in colors, and the designs' on various borders may simulate any natural or artificial objects. The decorating may be `done by stencils or hand painting, and on account of the fact that the border is an added element, the

Work may be donc very economically at the factory.

AThe advantages of these inexpensive, Or-Y namental, readily-appliable borders make it vpossible to give to out-door advertising Asigns each an individuality which has not been possible by the construction now in use. by using borders embodied in this invention it is possible to relieve the highway ofpresent unsightly and, therefore, objectionable signs, and to substitute ltherefor highly. ornamental signs of varied appearances. Present constructions, as employed in outdoor signs, make all signs alike in so far as their kgeneral appearances are concerned. By my invention it ispossible to get such `a i depth to lthesign.r l,

The drawing shows the detailsoffthe inl- V 1924. semina. 723,356..

dissimilarityf betiveenV ,signs` Vthat they yWill not have afmonotonous..,appearance even when theypare placedpclose, together.

5 ,Lasne further advantage derivedv from the' use of, my4 invention is" that the installation" of signs may be performed by kunskilled labor, it being ii'nmaterial Whether-or not the `supporting posts and other parts thereof'are too small to receive adequateornamentation, or are accurately placed, or arennade of linfe-y rior material, inasmuch .as the ornamental borders cover all imperfections of Workman? e ship and materials. y v Alsothe ornamental border'may be so pro-v portioned relatively to, the sign-board as to give to the entire sign symmetry which can-V not otherwise be attained. i Y Furthermore these ornamental' -borders may be disposed in planes,` each of which isA infront of that of the sign-board so as to givelinoeach case ana-ppearance .of some.'

vention,

Figure vation; n 4 Figure l2 being la ,sectional view taken on l being a vievv of the signin.ele-'efA the line`2--2 of Figure l; i .Y Y lFigure 3 beingy a sectional View taken on,l the line 3-3 ofFigure l;

4 Figure 4L beingavieW'` in fsection .fofl theV ornamental lborderand parts of an ordinary' sign to which said border is added, and r Figure 5 being a view of the tongue used 90 Vas a support. .i

The supporting posts are designated by the numeralv 1,and these'posts are connected atthe top by abeam 2 united to saidposts by v angle irons 3y disposed at each end thereof. This beamr may be used to space the posts When the Workman is setting them inthe ground, and thereafter attached to the posts.

The boder comprehends removable sections,v4, l5, 6, 7, respectively arranged to con- .stitute one side, the top7 the other side and the bottom of 'said border. The bottom section-may, in some instances, be omitted.

The section 4 (or the section 6) issecured .to a post 1 in the manner shown in Figure 2, wherein appears said section 4 made of sheet metal reinforced by Wooden strips 8,9. An`

eye 10 carried by the strip 8 receives the-vertical tip ofa tongue 11 which tongue is attached tothe inner side of the post l, Wherey,by said section 4 may be set inplace by a.

downward :movement which causes said eye 10 toricnpass tlietip of said ton' ue 11. These supporting devices are, pre erably, disposed proximate the .inner `edge of the section, and are so arran l that said section rests against the face of t e post with its free outer portion extending quite a. distance-bevond said post. A hook 12, secured to the back of the post by a lag screw 13 and engaging an eye 14 fixed to the strip 9, exerts a tensronal strain on the sectionmnd causes t it to seat-firmly against the face of the post.

The sign-boardl` hasa frame 16 provided with an dutstanding malginalflange 17, and to the back of this frame is attachedinany suitable manner a sign' plate 18, said signboard,as a whole, being Vheld against ihorizontal back braces-19 extending from post to post. V-VVoodeI-i cleats 20, attached'to the siginboard, engage the Vfinder side of the upperbaCk-braCe, and the upper side ofthe low'er 'back bra`ce,-respectively.

The relative sizes of the signboard and the-ornamental marginlaresnch as to leave a clear-space *20a between these Vtwo elements forfthe-"How `of airto thus' releive the wind pressure.

The posts 21,a`nd the sign-board and its signglata'shown in Fignrehare of thetype, wlne is in common "use, The ornamental sections `may `be secured to the sign by nails, or in any other manner with'ntalteration oftlesign Thisis very advantageous in the installation of the ornamental boitiers ic(institnting-` my invention, since, by Lavery simple means applied to unattractive slns,"

these signs'rnay be transformed intohig ly adorned objects whichV command the favorable l attention `of all observers.

Angle irons 22, having 'slots 23 and slipportedfby `the-"beam 2, may be employed to sign board overlying and Vconcealing said posts.

A sign having means fon-supporting the same, and including la sign board and separable decorativef elements arranged Aat* thetop and thesides `of said signboard and spaced from its edges.

3. A sign inclndingnmeensor a sign`boa-r`d,and a signboard, -and aborder supported independently of said signi board and obscn'ringstructural Lelements `of said Sign. Y

4. board, A'n'iezms' for supporting said sign, Aand an ornamental i border obscurilig' yparts of the sign structuregand spacedfrom all sides of said sign-board which aref-proximate `said border'.4 `5. The combinntionof a sign board, e supporting postfor said-sign boardya section of a border tor said sign `board secured to said post-and extending overlandloutward beyond a face tbereof,and meansfor drawing said section firmly against said face.

In testimony whereof 4I ax my signature.

' GORDON S. JOHNSON.

A `sign including iaireplaceable sign 

